Student Success Story - Jean Nsabumuremyi

2009 GraduateGeneral Studies, 3.6 GPAProvidence

At age 12, Jean Nsabumuremyi was on the run for his
life. He was alone in Kigali, Rwanda, in 1994, the year of genocide in
that country. When the killing suddenly began in April, he fled with his
family and many others into the panic on the streets, joining a crowd of
refugees looking for a safe way out of the city. He quickly lost his
way.

"I remember when I left my home we were all separated,"
he said. "I remember I saw some of my classmates die. It was a very
painful thing. Right now I can tell you I have very few classmates still
alive."

After a day on his own, Nsabumuremyi found his mother
and his four brothers and two sisters, who were able to escape because
his father, who was out of the country at the time, had friends in the
government.

The family fled to the Congo to escape the violence in
their country, worrying on the journey – each night in a different
hiding place – that they would be discovered and killed by roving
militias.

A politically unstable environment in the Congo forced
the family to move again, this time to Zambia. They spent one and a half
years in a United Nations refugee camp before being resettled in the
United States in 1996.

"It was very beautiful but very different," Nsabumuremyi
said about coming to America. "Everything’s new; you have to relearn
everything."

Nsabumuremyi got a job and struggled at first to learn
English, but he knew he wanted to make something of himself.

"I definitely wanted to get somewhere. My plan was to go
to a college to at least get a good job," he said. "I wanted to help
myself and help the community."

He chose the Community College of Rhode Island, starting
classes in fall 2006.

"It’s a wonderful place, I’ve met great people here," he
said. "I could never have made it without the people around here."

Nsabumuremyi became involved on campus and in the
community, all according to his plan. This year, he was president of the
student government at the Liston Campus in Providence, where he attended
classes. Nsabumuremyi said he is proud of the student government, which
worked to get students involved on the campus while they often juggled
full-time job obligations.

"If you work with a team and you are in charge, you
learn a lot of things," he said.

Nsabumuremyi is also a math tutor for students at Dorcas
Place Adult and Family Learning Center in Providence, which promotes
literacy and job skills for low-income adults.

Nsabumuremyi’s ultimate goal is to work with the United
Nations Development Program in Africa.

At the end of April he found out that he is one step
closer to that goal. He has been accepted to Cornell University, where
he will major in international development.

No matter where he goes, Nsabumuremyi said he will
always be grateful to CCRI.

"I could never have managed without the people [at
CCRI]," Nsabumuremyi said. "It’s a wonderful place."

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